John Roll, the federal judge slain in the massacre, was an experienced marksman, according to press accounts.

Yet when the bullets started flying, experienced gun owners became victims of violence like anybody else. The incident proves that guns don't make you bulletproof.

"I would have thought that if there was anywhere this was least likely to occur, it was Arizona," said John McGinness, the former Sacramento County sheriff who now hosts a radio show on KFBK (1530 AM).

The larger truth is that there isn't nearly enough anyone can do when an unstable person focuses on them. In California, those who have been institutionalized in mental health facilities by authorities are barred from buying guns for five years.

But based on the law, being creepy and making people nervous are not enough to get you institutionalized. That only happens when you are deemed a threat to yourself or others.

Loughner deserves his day in court, but someone matching his profile probably still would have been able to buy a gun in California as Loughner did in Arizona.